STORM GRAZER RISING

In the beginnings of a war against a group of mysterious, magical beings, a young woman learns of her own connection to an ancient prophecy in Munger’s fantasy series-starter.

In the Kingdom of Lavonshia’s rural province of Dorak, 21-year-old Aurelia Talbot lives a quiet life with her father in a village called Chelam. It’s a peaceful place, unaffected by war or crime, but other parts of Lavonshia aren’t as lucky. Recently, the city of Saan was decimated, with the entire population disappearing. The accused perpetrators are members of a mysterious nearby group of clans called Gray Cloaks, who have magical abilities and maintain peaceful relations with Dorakians. A group of Gray Cloaks appear in Chelam and announce that the Ka—the king’s army—is headed their way, and that Aurelia’s in danger—and she must leave Chelam with the Gray Cloaks immediately. Aurelia departs with a Gray Cloak named Daphne, accompanied by best friend Eken and Col, the son of Chelam’s most prominent family, who wishes to marry Aurelia. Daphne reveals that Aurelia is at the center of a prophecy about a Storm Grazer: “one who rides the storm clouds and holds lightening in hand.” Meanwhile, the Ka are seeking the missing people of Saan, killing any Gray Cloaks they encounter. Ka soldier Magnus Alwyn is wracked with guilt after his unit massacres a Gray Cloak village, and he isn’t the only disillusioned soldier; later, Daphne saves him and his comrades from a pack of Shadow-Wolves. In this fantasy novel, Munger presents a tale of friendship, loyalty, and betrayal. The author’s love for the genre is palpable on every page; the compelling tale is populated with intriguing characters throughout, and the worldbuilding is convincing and sound. Readers are likely to enjoy the detailed and sometimes playful descriptions of the various players most of all; they include NoNo, a catlike creature who “possessed the peculiar ability to blend in with his surroundings, invisible to any who glanced his way. With a whisk of his tail, he became a stray bolt of cloth tumbling along the street, or a mischief of mice scurrying across a room.”

An engaging tale of prophecy and magic with solid characters and mythology.